Deciding On Uni for Student Exchange - opinions on Victoria?

Question

Hi there I'm planning on going on a university student exchange for a semester in 2009 and am considering University of Victoria, Canada. Any opinions or pointers on Victoria, the lifestyle in general or perhaps even the university? I look forward to hearing your feedback.

Answer 1

University of Victoria Alumni, Class of 2000;

If you're looking for a school with a laid back, not entirely conformist attitude, UVic is an excellent choice. Dress code is always casual (unless of course you're in the MBA program or a Young Liberal in Poli Sci. They're the only people that wear ties to school) Even the law students are short sleeves and sandals type. Politics around there are always left leaning (you'll find lots of young Communists for example) which depending on your bent can get a bit annoying, but it never seemed to get out of hand. Huge pot culture too. (was never one to partake... Never had a problem with it though) It's not a huge school, but it certainly isn't small either. It's a size where faces will be familiar and you're always likely to run into someone you know. There's a real sense of community there, but no so huge it's completely inward looking. The school is a very organic part of the city.

As to Victoria itself. I always loved that city. If you can stand the coastal winter where things get dark and it's always wet, you'll fall in love too. Best city in Canada, and quite easily North America to make the choice to go car free and ride your bike. Very scenic. There's lots of little gems, be it a local pub, a small beach/cove park, or an older "village" neighbourhood from when it was all farmland. One big drawback is it can get pretty quiet at night sometimes. There is a definite downtime in Victoria overnight that you won't find in Vancouver, but there is a lot that can be seen to be good about that too. You'll find the biggest demographics in town are the students, the bureaucrats, the retirees, and the soldiers which can lead to some of the weirdest combinations you'll ever see. (when I was there the only country music bar in town doubled as a French speaking bar cause it was near the navy base)

I think I'll leave it at that. Good luck with your searching